Why Bob Johnson is an Asshole and a
Hypocrite
by Davey D
This article originally appeared on Davey D's Hip Hop Corner.
"The Bob Johnson we know has seemingly had no problem in
making billions from highlighting the drug dealing."
Former BET President and founder Bob Johnson is an asshole and
hypocrite. Lemme not pull punches, be politically correct, beat around the
bushes or try to impress high brow readers who feel I should be less crass and
gentler with my words so I can appeal to their sensibilities. It's 2008 and
unfortunately being nice and proper doesn't quite get the message across,
especially when it comes to Bob Johnson and his recent disparaging remarks
about presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to Johnson
getting on stage to introduce Senator Hillary Clinton at a rally and expressing
outrage about Barack Obama's past. He said; "Barack Obama was doing
something in the neighborhood. I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in
his book."
It was a cheap shot referencing Obama's drug use when he was a young man. This
was an activity that Obama freely admitted to in his memoirs Dreams From My
Father and on some level I can see it being fair game, but coming from a
guy like Johnson, that's like former President Bill Clinton giving marital
advice to Halle Berry's former husband, admitted sex addict Eric Bonet. I heard
Johnson make these remarks and I was like, "Negroe go back into your cave,
please sit down and leave the politics to someone else."
"We have not seen him get on any stage and diss former drug
dealers like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Rick Ross or any number of artists whose videos he
would routinely play."
I keep asking myself, where does Johnson get off slamming Obama about the
wrongs of drug use when he piloted one of the largest media institutions [BET]
that provided a worldwide platform that for the most part glorified and
legitimized the lifestyles of those who not only used drugs but also sold them.
In all the years we've known of "Billionaire Bob" Johnson we have not seen him
get on any stage and diss former drug dealers like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Rick Ross or
any number of artists whose videos he would routinely play coupled with sit down
interviews conducted by fawning hosts who never ever challenged these artists
for resurrecting a "criminal" lifestyle in both their songs and videos they
supposedly left behind.
The Bob Johnson we know, has never gone out of his way to publicly smash on
artists who like Mary J Blige or Fergie who admitted to using drugs in the past
and have since gotten their lives together and moved onward and upward. If
anything, the former head of BET could be seen publicly praising them while
courting them to appear at his award shows or Spring Bling concerts.
Johnson certainly never came out swinging on admitted drug abusing artists like
Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Flava Flav or DMX who all had reality shows
either on BET or one of the other stations within the Viacom network
where he had influence as a VP.
One
would think a guy of Johnson's new found "high moral character" would've been
smashing on drug use and drug peddling a long time ago. Could you imagine what
sort of shockwaves would've been sent around the world if Johnson even as a
retired media mogul had spoken out and said: "No Bobby! No Whitney! We won't
give them a reality show until those two get themselves healed and free of
drugs." Can you imagine if he insisted the DMX show "Soul of a Man" was centered
around him getting over cocaine addiction?
Imagine the shockwaves if Johnson said: "Hell no Jigga we ain't supporting
your album American Gangster because you highlighting the sordid
lifestyle of heroin dealers like Frank Lucas and we are against that type of
behavior." Could you imagine if Johnson found his nuts when at the helm of BET
and shut down any and all videos from artists who had "dirty pasts" that they
were trying to exploit?
"It was on Johnson's watch that we saw incredible commentators
like Tavis Smiley and Ed Gordon disappear."
Sadly, the Bob Johnson we know has seemingly had no problem in making billions
from highlighting the drug dealing, drug using lifestyle. Adding to this
disappointment is the fact that this proud African American billionaire did
things like remove programming that would make us question and shun such
questionable behavior. It was on Johnson's watch that BET got rid of great
award winning shows like Teen Summit. It was on Johnson's watch that we saw
incredible commentators like Tavis Smiley and Ed Gordon disappear. It was on
Johnson's watch we saw the BET nightly news shrink and then became a non
existent. These shows were shut down in spite of objections ranging from
scholars like Dr. Cornel West to the eight major Black fraternities and
sororities to, more recently, church groups leading the "Enough is Enough" campaign. It
was on Johnson's watch that many in the community were up in arms protesting
BET when they had that Step-N-Fetcher like cartoon called Cita's World. Y'all
remember that one, right?
As I'm penning this article, I'm vividly recalling Johnson arrogantly
responding to critics on a widely televised "townhall" where he was confronted
for firing Tavis Smiley. Johnson said that BET stands for "Black Entertainment"
and he is in the business to entertain the masses and that he was not obligated
to provide news programming. Who knows, maybe Johnson was trying to be
"entertaining" when he made is divisive remarks about Obama.
How is it that Johnson found the courage to stand up against Obama but was
mealy mouthed against the artists with questionable pasts that he highlighted
on his network who in turn became the face and MIS-perception of all African
Americans to the rest of the world? Many of us who are not celebrities and have
traveled overseas know the pain we've endured of having to explain to
fascinated yet misguided individuals in far off lands that we are nothing like
the characters and depicted in the videos shown on BET? I know I've had my
share of conversations where I had to put things in proper context in places
ranging from Barcelona to Scotland to Beirut where BET specifically was cited
as the referencing point.
"Instead of hustlin' crack, Johnson hustled Black pathologies,
distorted images and misinformation under the banner of Black culture."
Instead, of being a champion for our people who could use his resources and
influence to change widely held, worldwide misperceptions and stereotypes of
us, he opted to become something more foul then any drug dealer. He became a
propagandist of the worse kind. Instead of hustlin' crack, Johnson hustled
Black pathologies, distorted images and misinformation under the banner of
Black culture which has resulted in many believing we are part and parcel to
the unchallenged buffoonery he allowed to be highlighted. Instead of
celebrating Obama for overcoming the odds including the scourge of drugs to
possibly become the next president of the United States, this "negroe" Bob
Johnson wants to act like a lap dog for Hillary Clinton and bash on him - all while being a media drug peddler of
sorts who is in a big way responsible for normalizing drug culture.
And please don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying Obama is not above
criticism. I have lots of critiques that I can launch at him. For the record, I
am not the biggest Obama fan. He gives great speeches and has lots of charisma. There's no denying the energy he brings to
mainstream political discussion, but from where I sit his politics don't go
quite go far enough. I want Obama to be the type of politician to have been on
the ground front and center leading the masses when we went to protest in Jena.
Instead all I got was a prèss release.
I want Obama to have been the politician who is bold and assertive and
uncompromising to the point that he would speak out on behalf of the San Francisco 8 or the Puerto Rican activists who are being
jammed up by the Feds. I want Obama to be the type of guy who is smashing hard
on police brutality and this current wave of gentrification. But when I argue
with my fellow colleagues like writers Adisa Banjoko or Eric K. Arnold, our
spirited debates center around Obama's position on issues.
Even
the big debate between rap stars Rhymefest (Obama supporter) and Lupe Fiasco
(Hillary supporter) has centered around the politics of the candidates. Nobody
is brow beating Obama for having used drugs in the past. The Obama we know and
see today is clean, smart and razor sharp and we don't see him coddling and
being a big enabler to drug culture the way that billionaire Bob Johnson has
been over all those years. Johnson made his billions by pimping drug culture on
his network to the fullest.
"If Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were still alive waging
battles against oppression, they would probably be excluded from the day to day
banter of BET."
The biggest challenge that all of us as African Americans have is that Johnson,
who made some significant economic accomplishments, led many to believe that
what he was doing as the head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate was
building upon past freedom struggles waged by the likes of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers and others.
The sad irony to all this is that if King and X were still alive waging battles
against oppression, they would probably be excluded from the day to day banter
of BET. We barely see or hear about these past leaders on the station today.
What was the last in-depth discussion you saw or heard on BET under Johnson's
reign about King beyond I have a Dream speech? What's the last insightful story
you saw on Malcolm X?
If you listened to Dr. King's thoughts on media then you know one thing, that
BET and the foolishness it puts out in the name of our people would've been in
stark opposition to where King stood in terms of using media as a tool to
uplift and inform the community. Like I said, Martin and Malcolm would never be
on BET aside from a few documentary clips and sound bites if they were around
today. If you don't believe me and think this is far fetched lets take a short
trip down memory lane.
Those of us who are old enough to recall, when BET first came out it held a lot
of promise and became a source of pride. It promised to fill the void and
become a much needed answer to MTV which started out refusing to air videos
from Black artists. Eventually Michael Jackson, Run DMC and later Yo MTV Raps
knocked down some of those doors, but BET started off promising to be our
uncompromised mouthpiece.
I recall in the late 80s as the cable industry expanded, BET was not included
on many of the cable systems and there were spirited campaigns to get them on.
It was young 20-something year old activists who were then part of what I would
call the Public Enemy/ Afrocentric
generation that took to heart some of the promises made by Bob Johnson who at
that time called upon people to stand up for BET and demand it be included as a
cable channel. BET's exclusion from local cable systems was seen as yet another
example of how prevalent racism was in this country. Many of us were coming out
of the tailspin of the crack era and as Hip Hop's Golden Age kicked in many
eagerly sought to fight the power. Getting BET on cable was one such
fight.
"Many of the activists who spearheaded the fight to get
BET on for the masses can't get on BET themselves to share and inform viewers
of on going struggles in our community."
Here in the Bay Area it was rap activists like artist Chill E.B. who worked
tirelessly, organizing letter writing campaigns and call ins to get BET on
cable systems outside of Oakland in neighboring cities like Concord, Fremont
and other areas it was absent. I recall doing radio shows and even having
someone from BET (it may have even been Johnson himself, I have to check my
tape archives) come on the air to talk about the importance of all of us
pulling together to help insure that BET got a fair shot. I recall giving out
phone numbers to the offending cable outlets and encouraging listeners to stand
up for BET. Years later many of the activists who spearheaded the fight to get
BET on for the masses can't get on BET themselves to share and inform viewers
of on going struggles in our community. For example, I know Chill EB, who is a
war vet and has spoken out against the war and has even done songs and videos
about the topic, never has been invited to sit on the 106 & Park couch.
It's ironic that Obama who at 40-something would've been part of that Public
Enemy/ Afrocentric generation that initially rallied for causes like getting
BET on cable systems now finds himself being criticized by a guy like Bob
Johnson. How quickly they turn. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised shiesty
people rarely change their stripes. My boy and fellow writer, Jelani Cobb raised an important
question in his recent article on this topic for the Washington Post which was: What
were the Clinton's thinking when they got Johnson to stomp for them? She might
as well gotten Rupert Murdoch or Bill O'Reilly to stomp for her. That's
like me running for office and getting a Gestapo like guy like Rudy Giuliani to
stomp on my behalf - its not a good look and brings into question Senator
Clinton's clear lapse in judgment. All she had to do was look at the number of
protests launched against BET in the past few years for their degrading images
of women. That should've been a clear enough message. In other words, if
Hillary thinks so little of Black people that she went and dug up a cat like
Bob Johnson then I'm gonna have to close the book on her and bounce the other
way and roll with Obama.
Davey D is a veteran Hip Hop journalist, based
in the Bay Area. Go to his website, Davey D's
Hip Hop Corner.
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